Change Happens
by Maria Rogers
Summary: Hermione comes back to Hogwarts for her 7th year after the defeat of Voldemort. Everything is improving and the people have changed, especially one certain Professor. They have changed a lot. A relationship grows between two unexpected people.
1. The First Sign of Change

Hermoine Granger walked the halls of Hogwarts slowly. Today was a slower day than usual. She woke up early and had decided to walk the halls before breakfast was served and it seemed like forever since she had gotten up. Almost everyone else was still in bed since breakfast would not be served for another hour and half. She tried to take her time walking seeing as she would have nothing to do once she got where she was heading. The rising sun glowed through the windows as she walked towards the Entrance Hall.

She walked down the stairs slowly swishing her very short gray skirt back and forth with her free hand. She carried her shoes in her left hand because the clicking would disturb other people in the castle. He robe hung loosely over her arm with her wand sticking out of the pocket. He white blouse was not fully buttoned up and you could see just a little bit of her chest as she sat down on the bottom step. Her knee high gray socks stretched around her calves and made it up to the top of her shins. She laid he shoes and robe down next to her and stretched out her legs in front of her. It was very early and she wasn't fully dressed on account of no one else being up.

Even though the sun had barely risen, the front doors began to open on their own accord. In _Hogwarts: A History_, Hermoine had read how once the sun touches them they will start to open even if there is rain. There is a special charm to keep the rain out on those days. She sat and watched as the sun light crept through the doors to accompany the torches on the walls. She reached out her arms to her toes and stretched.

She threw her tamed auburn hair back over her right shoulder and looked into the Great Hall. It was the second day of her seventh year and she had changed immensely over the summer. Her hair was no longer puffy but tamed and almost sleek looking. It was still very curly but it lay more flat on her shoulders because of its length and the charm she had found to lay it more flat. Her face was more mature than it was and seemed firmer. Her body had also matured to give her hips and a chest as well. She had started some exercise over the summer to tone out her muscles and it had worked. She was a tone, gorgeous, 17 year old witch and had the intelligence to add to it.

She was Head girl this year and had not had a chance to see anyone on the train or at the opening ceremony because of duties. Right after duties she had headed to her Dorm because of her drowsiness. The only person she had seen was Dumbledore when she found out her duties. She had examined the Common rooms and dorm rooms in Hufflepuff and Gryffindor to make sure they were tidy and safe for the other students. She even walked the halls to catch any stragglers roaming the school. She hadn't had the joy of catching anyone.

As she sat on the stairs in the entrance hall, she watched the sun shine through the windows in the Great Hall. The house tables were empty and the Head table sat in the front in all its glory. She thought as she watched the sun hit the Head table of how she had always wanted to be a teacher here at Hogwarts and wanted to sit at that table staring out into the rest of the Hall. A thought hit her. She still had at least an hour before any one would show up and none of the teachers would be there for at least a half an hour. She slowly got up and headed into the Great Hall carrying her shoes and robe with her.

She walked cautiously into the empty hall and headed up the center isle. She laid her robe on the table where she would sit for breakfast and put her shoes down on the floor with a slight click of the heals on the floor. She looked around the hall to make sure she was alone and walked carefully towards the Head table. She walked up the steps almost slipping on the second to last one because of her socks, but steadied herself before she could fall. She walked smoothly around the table and looked out into the hall. She loved the view. She looked own at the soft chairs in front of her and could not remember for the life of her which teacher sat where. She avoided Dumbledore's chair completely and sat down in one towards the end of the table. As she sat down she let out a gasp because of the comfort of the chair she was now sitting in. She leaned back into the chair relishing the empty room in front of her. She loved it all. The tall pillars on the sides, the long brown tables stretched out in front of her, and she could only imagine what it would be like with hundreds of kids filling those empty benches.

The sun hit her face slowly and she felt warm in the seat. She relaxed a bit thinking of the half hour she had to sit there, and leaned back while closing her eyes. She felt the sun hit her uncovered skin on her chest and enjoyed the feeling of warmth it left. Her hair fell down her back and the chair as she slowly drifted into a relaxed state. She was so relaxed she didn't even notice the sound of footsteps coming up the side stars heading out of the dungeons.

Severus Snape woke up on time for once today. He slid out of bed and dressed slowly. He always wanted to wake up earlier than the other teachers to get to breakfast first, but it never happened. This year would be different. It was only the second day of the year and her already wanted to crawl back in bed. His stressed life was over but her still felt the effects. The past year was horrible. After the faked death of Dumbledore at the end of the year and the death of Lord Voldemort at the beginning of the summer, he had a lot of explaining to do. After the chaos had dies off, he had relaxed the rest of the summer, not caring about what was going on. The rest of the Death Eaters were in Azkaban and he still had his teaching job at Hogwarts.

He carried his heavy robe in his hand as he exited his private chambers. He had changed over the summer. He no longer was worried about things and took care of his appearance more. His black button up shirt was missing a button at the top, but once his robes were on, no one would notice. His black trousers fit perfectly on his muscular legs. He rolled his sleeves of his shirts up a bit so he wouldn't get them dirty when he ate breakfast. His hair was no longer long and greasy. He had it trimmed to still cover his face if he wanted it to, but so he could brew potions without it getting in the way. It had lost its greasy look when he wasn't so stressed with spying.

He walked slowly towards the stairs leading out of the dungeons. He glanced towards to main doors as he walked up the stairs and cracked a small smile at the sight of the sun light covering the floor. Ashe walked turned the corner into the Great Hall he glanced up at the Head table expecting it to be empty, but to his surprise, saw a young woman sitting in his seat. He walked cautiously towards the table but stopped halfway as he tried to think of who it could be. The hair and face looked familiar, but he didn't know who it was. He realized it was a student right away because of the uniform she wore, but who was it? He looked around for any clues and noticed shoes and a robe sitting on the Gryffindor table. It hit him right away who this was. It was Hermione Granger.

He smirked to himself at the memories of his criticizing her for her intelligence. He was really under a lot of stress. He was still the old grumpy potions master and would stay that way, but he would no longer play favorites to keep up the Death Eater act. He would be strict this year, but certainly not unfair or hated. He laid his robe across his arm as he walked towards the front. He walked up the stairs and went to stand in front of the table. He stood near Dumbledore's seat and realized that Hermoine had her eyes closed. He was a quiet person when he walked. Her legs were crossed at the ankles and stuck out from under the uncovered table. Her arms were folded in front of her accentuating her chest. He noticed just how she had mush she had changed over the summer. He wasn't the only one who had made drastic changes.

He waited a few more moments for her to stir before clearing his throat. She jumped and opened her eyes searching for the sound of the noise. She then sat up quickly in the chair and looked at him with a confused look on her face. He smirked at her reaction.

"Professor Snape?" She asked in a confused voice. Her hands were laying calming in her lap and she had sat up fully to look at him.

"Yes, Miss Granger?" He smirked at her. She just sat there staring for a moment before realizing her lack of manners.

"O, I'm so sorry. I just was curious. I had gotten up early and just wanted to waste some time. So, I decided to try and sit here. I wasn't expecting anyone for maybe another half hour or so." She made some strange hand gestures but remained in the seat. She looked at Snape for a moment. He just nodded his head from side to side.

"I see our Head girl this year was just wondering what it would be like to be Professor Snape at the head table." He smirked and then went back to his usual stern look.

Hermoine stared in confusion for only a moment before realizing she was in his seat. She jumped up and went to rush around to the front of the table but slid on the floor in the process lading with a thud behind the table. Snape laid his robe down and walked quickly to where she had fallen. She was chuckling slightly.

"Wow, only the second day back and I am already making a fool out of myself." She went to get up when Snape offered her a hand.

"Not a fool, just human." He let go of her hand and walked back to his robe. He walked past Hermione brushing herself off and put his coat on the back of his chair. He sat down in his chair and folded his arms in front of him. Hermoine walked in front of him and sat down on the table a little to his left.

"So, Professor, how have you been?" She asked giving him a weak smile.

"Good, how have you been Miss Granger?" He closed his eyes while asking as Hermione watched the sun creep into the room even more.

"Pretty good." They continued to talk about their summers until the teachers started to file into the room. Hermoine greeted everyone with a hand shake and they stood there talking for a little bit while Snape just sat in his chair with his eyes closed listening to the chatter. All the teachers were talking about how grown up Hermione was and how she was going to be a wonderful head girl. If everyone was as grown up as Hermione, this year would be interesting.

Hermoine had straightened herself up as the teacher walked into the Great Hall. She buttoned up her shirt more and hurriedly put on her shoes. She sat down at the table and waited for her friends to show up. A little while later, she jumped up and ran to hug Ron and Harry as they walked into the hall. They were the only three students in the hall and the teachers were still at the front talking.

Both Ron and Harry stepped back to look at Hermoine. They looked shocked.

"Wow, when did you get so gorgeous?" Harry asked in a stunned voice. Hermione slapped him playfully on the arm while winking at Ron.

They walked over to the table and sat down just as more students were filing into the hall. They ate the breakfast in a hurry and talked the rest of the time. Professor McGonagall handed out the schedules and the trio was relieved to find that they only had one class that day, but it was a double class of Potions.

"Let's hope he is in a better mood this year." Ron looked up at the teachers table to look for him, but couldn't find him at first. Then he realized that the man talking with Professor Lupin, who was back for DADA classes, was Professor Snape.

"What did he do to himself?" Ron asked shocked. Harry looked up at the table and coughed as his drink went down the wrong tube. They sat shocked for a moment until Hermione interrupted their thoughts.

"He is more relaxed now that the spying thing is over. I think he has actually started to care about his appearance. I would have to say that he doesn't look half bad. He also is in a much better mood. I talked with him for while. He is really nice now." She shifted her eyes to Snape who at the moment she looked at him had ended hi conversation and looked at her. She smiled at him in surprise, and he surprisingly smiled back. They both looked away to continue other conversations. Hermoine turned to the shocked faces of Harry and Ron.


	2. Something New Happens

A/N: Thank you to all of you who have reviewed. I liked the comments. I would like to remind you that Hermoine is Head girl. Please review this one. I hope you like. Please let me know any other ideas for future chapters. Enjoy!

Hermione wandered down to the dungeons thinking. She was not the only one to change over the summer. Not only had she changed drastically, but so had Professor Snape, Ron, and Harry. Ron was no longer the dorky looking red head he was known to be. He was tall for his age and rather muscular. He even looked more mature in the face and his hair was perfectly trimmed for his look. He wore his clothes loose, but what guy didn't? Harry had also changed. He once looked just as dorky as Ron, but now he too had matured. The scar that once was so prominent was now covered by his hair and was fading fast into his skin. He still had the signature glasses, but they worked out perfectly with his look.

She headed down the hall to catch up with her friends. The usual group was again gathered around the doors of the potions classroom like all the years before. Everyone was still the same minus some exceptions. Harry and Ron were resting against the wall near the door as Hermoine turned the corner to head to the classroom. As soon as she was spotted by the rest of the class, everyone went quiet. This class was considerably smaller than the years before because of it being an advanced potions class. She was surprised to see Harry and Ron in the class, but they did want to become Aurors and have picked up on their studies. The rest of the class consisted of two Ravenclaws, one Hufflepuff, and the one Slytherin Hermoine could not stand, Draco Malfoy. The class now stood gaping in the hall. Apparently none of them had seen her at breakfast. She walked slowly down the hall holding her books at her side and her robe billowing behind her.

"Who is that? Is that Hermoine?" One Ravenclaw whispered to another. Hermoine overheard as she slowly came to stand between Ron and Draco. Draco eyed her curiously.

"Hello Granger, how are you this fine day?" Draco turned to talk to Hermoine after she greeted her friends.

"I'm fine Malfoy. How are you?" She smiled to be polite.

"Fabulous. Now tell me, have you always been this hot, or did you have to use a spell to become as mature as you are?" Draco slid his eyes down her body slowly checking her out. Hermoine rolled her eyes and looked away. She started a small conversation with Harry and Ron while Draco glared at her back, not liking the fact that he was just ignored.

"Hey Granger, why not answer the question? I know everyone here is dying to know if those are fake or you just had a growth spurt." Draco smirked in his usual way. Hermoine let out a heavy sigh as she turned around to fire back a retort. She knew this would happen. She had changed over the summer, and it was bound to come up at some point.

"For your information Malfoy, I just happened to mature faster than the rest of you. I don't have to resort to plastics or spells to look as mature as I do, and frankly, I wouldn't even if I was like you. The only one here who is fake, would be you." With that said, Hermoine turned around to look at the shocked faces of Ron and Harry. No one noticed the tall man walking down the hall.

"Well, Granger, it seems you have actually found something useful to say after all those years of no retorts or comments. It surprises me. I might just actually have to act on one of my threats for once. I would love to actually torture that pretty brown head of yours."

Draco inched forward as he said this till he was right behind her left ear. She could feel the breath on her ear, but still just rolled her eyes. Before she could respond, a cool silky voice floated into their ears.

"Mr. Malfoy, I believe that could quite possibly be an invasion of Miss Granger's personal space, and if I heard you correctly, that also could be a detention with Filch tonight at 8." Everyone turned around to see Professor Snape leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. Some of the other students gasped not seeing him until now. "Now everyone, please, inside the classroom now." He barked sharply.

The class scurried into the classroom still aghast at how much the dreaded potions master had changed. Something had happened, because he just gave his own student a detention for being too close to Hermoine Granger. Things have changed.

Hermoine has decided to start on a new foot with Professor Snape this year, and sat in the front row. Harry and Ron took their usually seats in the back to avoid his stern glare that they had come accustomed to over the years. Everyone filed in. The Hufflepuff sat down behind Hermoine and Draco sat across the isle. The two Ravenclaws sat across the isle from Harry and Ron. Before the chatter could start again, the door was slammed shut and Snape walked deliberately down the center isle to the front, his robes billowing behind him.

"Now, you must have noticed that I have changed over the summer, or at least it may appear that way. Now that Voldemort is dead and the Death Eaters are in Azkaban, life has changed for all of us. Some more than others." He eyed certain people in the classroom. "I would also like to say that just because I have changed, it does not mean you can goof off in this classroom or in my presence. I will still be as strict as I have always been. Nothing has changed there. I will still expect those high marks for all of you. Now, today I want to see what you are capable of doing since you have certainly not done magic or potion brewing over the summer. Just make what you think shows your most talent in the two periods we have. Begin."

The whole class scurried into action, except Hermoine. She sat thinking for a moment before deciding to make Veritaserum. She had done it before, and she certainly had the time for it now. It also would be well none to Professor Snape. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He had really changed. His face looked healthier and he wasn't as pale as before. He looked pretty good. She hurriedly started working on her potion.

Snape watched his 7th year advanced students work on what he hoped would be a great batch of potions. He was more optimistic than he used to be and it bothered him sometimes that he never looked for the best in situations. He scanned the classroom for any points that could be awarded or taken away. His eyes stopped on Hermoine as she rolled up the sleeves of her robe and blouse to begin chopping up ingredients. She had matured. When he had seen her this morning, he hadn't thought of just how drastic the change was. He looked around the rest of the classroom. No one was as mature looking as her. He had been wrong about his previous thoughts. She was alone on her maturity level.

He continued to watch her for a moment until she looked up to find him watching her. She blushed and smiled. He nodded his head towards her in acknowledgment and started walking around the class. They all worked busily. He paused for a moment next to Hermoine after making a round about the room. She had just added her last ingredient to the potion and was cleaning up while it brewed. He looked into the caldron and realized instantly what she had made. He knew it all too well.

"Miss Granger? How exactly did you know how to brew this?" He tilted his head in her direction. She smiled weakly. He liked her smile.

"Well, I just sort of found it one day and it stuck in my head. Things just do that sometimes." She shrugged her shoulders and kept cleaning off her work table.

"Well, I think this deserves some extra points. Five points to Gryffindor for your success." He winked at her unable to control himself and left her standing astonished by her desk. He moved to stand at the front of the class while everyone else finished their potions.

"I believe you should all be done by now with your potions. Please flask them and put them on my desk if you want credit for them and please clean up your desks before leaving." Everyone was surprised that he had not taken away any points the whole time, but they still had room for mistakes in cleaning up. They hurried about putting things away and sat down quietly in their seats waiting to be dismissed. Snape looked at the heard the far off bell to signify the end of classes and let them go.

"Wait, Miss Granger. I have come to find out that you are very excellent in motions. I know I never have complimented you before, but I would like some assistance in brewing potions for the infirmary. Would you like to help me in your free hour after lunch? It would be greatly appreciated." He gave her a small crack of a smile.

"Wow, I would love to. Thank you sir. See you later Professor." She smiled confidently and left the room with her books held loosely at her side.

Snape stood and pondered to himself for a moment. He would have to compliment her more often. He really did like her smile.

Hermoine hurried off to the Heads Common Room before lunch. She just remembered that she still had no clue who the Head boy was. She wondered about the possibilities before quickly saying the password and entering through the portrait hole. Before she could make it to the stairs to set her books in her room, she heard a familiar voice from the couch.

"So Granger, how do you like the new and improved potions master? I think he has gone soft, but what do I know. Maybe he just has a thing for tall girls in short skirts and tight blouses." Hermoine looked up to find the Head boy lounging on the sofa. Draco Malfoy would have to be the worst choice for head boy in the whole Wizarding world, but that was the choice that had been made. He wasn't bad at school, actually, he was pretty good, and he did have the charms, just maybe not the manners.

"Malfoy, leave me alone. I don't have the time for this." She briskly left the room without giving him a chance to respond. When she came back down the stairs he had moved to the chair closest to the door and was staring at her with a smirk on his face.

"Is there something between you and the dreaded potions master? Or are you just playing dumb?" Hermoine looked at him in wonder for a moment before walking out of the door.

She thought to herself as she walked to the Great Hall. Is there something between her and Professor Snape? Would she mind? She shook her head as she walked down the main stairs to greet her friends.

A/N: Hey, hope you liked it. Not much though. I hope there are fewer errors in grammar in this one. Sorry about the last one. I was in a hurry. Thanks. Please review.


	3. Feelings Arise

The Great Hall was filled with the usual chatter as Hermione walked through the tall oak doors. Every student sat eating cheerfully gossiping about different things that had passed around the school. They talked about the sudden changes in people because of the end of the war, the hiring of Professor Lupin, and the general teenage rumors that spread normally from ear to ear.

Hermione walked down the center isle with her robes loosely flapping at her sides to seat herself next to Harry and Ron. Ginny sat calmly across the table watching Hermione as she sat down. A curious look of respect was etched on her face.

"What is it Ginny?" Hermione asked as she filled her plate with some lunch.

"Well, nothing, I just noticed, well…."Ginny fiddled with her lunch a bit before continuing. "You have matured a bloody hell of a lot over the summer. I was wondering if it was for a specific reason." Ginny blushed trying to hide what she really wanted to ask.

"Ginny, life just goes on. No more stress over the Dark Lord, no more worries of fighting in a big battle, all there is, is life itself now. So, I guess that is my reason. Is that it?" Hermione took a bite of her lunch and flashed a smile at Ginny before chewing her food.

Ginny set her fork down, which she had been stabbing her food with mindlessly, and seemed to gather some courage.

"Good, I have heard some rumors and I really didn't know if they were true. It's good that you have changed. I mean, well, there was nothing wrong with you before, just…o bloody hell, I think I just put my foot in my mouth." Ginny sat back seemingly having lost her courage. Hermione almost choked on her drink. She chuckled a bit.

"It's ok Ginny. Thank you for the compliment." She smiled again and listened as Harry and Ron started a conversation on Quiditch that she did not want to join in. Ginny had stopped eating and pulled out a copy of The Daily Prophet. Hermione eyed it thoughtfully. It had been a while since she had read an issue.

"Ginny, do you mind if I borrow that?" Ginny nodded her head and handed the paper over. Hermione scooted a little further away from the boys talking next to her. Before she could get it open to even read the front cover, Ginny nudged her under the table. Hermione looked back up at her friend across the table. Ginny leaned over the table a bit and softly whispered in Hermione's ear.

"OK, just curious. There is a rumor about you and Snape getting together because you both have changed so drastically over the summer. Is it true?" Ginny sat back slowly. Hermione cracked a smile and shook her head.

"Why would you think that?" She whispered back.

"Well, he is staring at you right now, and I just was curious." Ginny leaned back just in time to be prodded in the arm by her once-again boyfriend, Dean. She turned and abruptly left her conversation with Hermione to start a new one with him.

Hermione thought for a moment and turned slowly just in time to catch her 'new and improved' potions master quickly go back to eating. He had been looking in her direction. She sat and watched him for a moment. He was awfully handsome now. She watched as some of his hair hung lazily over his forehead a bit as he took a bite of the chicken on his plate. Something made her think that there was always something about him that attracted her. He was mysterious, brave, and charming in his own sarcastic way. Her eyes wondered to his arm as he picked up his goblet and slowly took a drink. His muscles intrigued her where his rolled up sleeves showed off his arms. She realized he no longer had the Dark mark. Most likely because of Voldemort's unchangeable death. She watched him out of the corner of her eye until she realized she was staring. She quickly looked back to the paper in front of her. Opening it up, she began to read.

Snape looked at his plate of food for a moment after Hermione had turned his direction. He hoped she didn't notice his staring. He just could not get over how much she had changed. Guys seemed to not be able to take their eyes off of her. He rolled the fork in his fingers before taking a bite of food. He continued to eat until he felt he would surly be able to last the rest of the day, or at least till dinner, with no other food. He sat back in his chair thinking to himself. His eyes gazed out into the Great Hall. He could understand how Hermione had been curious to see what it was like to watch all the students. He enjoyed it because of the power it made him feel.

His eyes slowly moved back to the Gryffindor table. Hermione was sitting calmly reading a paper. Her hair fell loosely across her shoulder and she had her head tilted to the side to avoid it falling in front of her face. He then again thought of her maturity. She was an adult in a sea of children, he thought to himself. Her mind and mannerisms were that of a thirty year old. She was too mature for guys her age. He thought greedily for a moment about how she deserved someone better than any of the guys in her year. He has taught all of them, and no one matched her intellect.

He slowly rose from his seat and pulled on his robe. He glided down the center isle still sending students cowering at a glance, his robes billowing in his wake. He walked past Hermione in her spot at the Gryffindor table and nodded as she glanced up from her paper, obviously sensing someone passing by her. She smiled back and went back to reading. Snape now had to get down to the dungeons to start brewing the various potions needed by Madame Pomfrey.

Hermione walked to the potions classroom in a slow manner. The only thing she had with her besides her robes, was her wand. It stuck carelessly out of her robes pocket and she stood in front of the classroom door. She knocked once and heard a crisped 'Enter' from inside. She opened the door slowly and found it was empty of all desks besides the ones bordering the room. In the center were a few tables with cauldrons perched on the top, some smoldering over a flame. She looked around in search of Professor Snape and found him in the corner searching through a cabinet.

"Good Afternoon Miss Granger." He walked leisurely over to the tables in the center and set down some ingredients on the tables. He looked up at Hermione at her spot by the closed door and smirked. "Would you like to come help me, or just stand there for the rest of the afternoon?"

Hermione caught a glimpse of pure amusement in his eyes. She walked over to the table and just set her wand aside, knowing full well she would not need it here.

"Well, what would you like me to do?" She asked calmly looking at the ingredients.

"I would like you to begin by brewing some blood replenishing potions. Some accidents on the Quiditch pitch have left the infirmary in short supply, mostly because of my house." He added with a snort. He pointed Hermione in the direction of a large cauldron on the center of the table. He watched for a second as she headed over to the cauldron and looked at the ingredients on the side and thought for a moment to make sure she remembered how to brew it. He turned back to the cabinets once he realized she was getting started.

Hermione set to work right off the bat. She started chopping the right ingredients and added them into the boiling water in the cauldron. She followed all the directions until there came a point where she had to let it simmer for fifteen minutes. She relaxed a bit and sat on a stool next to the wall and waited. Her eyes fluttered shut for a moment before realizing she was not alone in the room. Her brown eyes focused on the man near her. He was working busily on a potion on the adjacent table. His hair was falling loosely around his head, his sleeves were rolled up, and the top of his shirt was slightly unbuttoned because of the heat in the room. His Roman nose has a small bead of sweat running along the bridge. Hermione thought briefly of how she would like to place a kiss on his nose before realizing who she was thinking about.

Her fifteen minutes was up rather abruptly and she almost fell off her stool in the process of returning to her potion. Snape snorted softly.

"You didn't see that." She muttered, almost to herself.

"Nothing was seen." Snape smiled to himself as he started stirring his potion.

Hermione straightened herself out and was back into her potion in mere seconds. She still had a while to go. It was a large batch, and needed some time to brew.

Snape finished with his potion and corked in the flasks he had on the table. He labeled them and set them on his desk in the front of the classroom. He wiped his brow with his sleeve and walked over to take a brake. He leaned against the wall near the stool Hermione had been sitting on and watched her work

Her hair was pulled back loosely from around her face. She had removed her robes long ago to not spill anything on them and he was glad for that. He knew his thoughts were bordering on wrong, but she was legal and she was mature. Her sleeves were rolled up around her elbows and she had unbuttoned her blouse slightly to get rid of some heat. She blew a stray hair out of her face and went back to chopping some ingredients. He watched her a moment longer and couldn't take his eyes off of the woman she had become. She looked rather untidy but gorgeous.

For a brief second, Hermione looked up and caught his eye. They locked eyes for a moment before she blushed and went back to working. Could that have really happened? She thought to herself. She could have sworn she saw longing in his eyes.

They continued to brew their separate potions into the evening. She had skipped dinner to brew another batch of blood replenishing potion and had finished up in record time. Instead of the silence in the beginning, there was talk and laughter. Hermione had never thought her potions teacher could be so witty, but he was rather clever and sarcastic and it made her laugh. Snape even eyed her with some respect of her knowledge and views. It was surprising, but Hermione had fun, and Snape had to admit, he had fun as well. She sat on the stool, trying to cool off as Snape cleaned up and leaned next to her against the wall. They were in silence for a moment.

"I would like to thank you Miss Granger for your help. It has been greatly appreciated, as was the company and conversation." He turned to her and smiled genuinely.

"It has been my pleasure. Thank you for offering me the chance to brush up on some other potions. I have had fun." She smiled back and heaved a sigh.

"Well, since we both had so much fun, would you mind coming back and helping me some more, same time tomorrow? I would be glad to have you down here." He shrugged.

"Sure, Professor. I would be glad to come." She hopped off the stool and picked up her robe and wand. Her shirt was un-tucked and slightly unbuttoned so she decided to throw on her robes to hide her untidy appearance. She smiled over at Snape standing where he was against the wall. "See you tomorrow Professor Snape, Good night."

She caught a small 'Good night Miss Granger' as she headed out the door and down the hall. She could not wait for tomorrow. That was stimulating and fun for once and she enjoyed every minute of it. Just being in his presence like that made her feel warm and safe and even hungry with desire. His voice filled her ears as she headed up to the Head's Common Room. She smiled to herself at some of the jokes they had made.

As she entered the common room, she barely noticed Draco sitting in the corner of the room eyeing her suspiciously. She was startled by a brisk voice.

"It looks like you have had a fun time with Snape this after noon Granger. It seems I may have been right about his like for girls in tight clothing." He smirked as she halted and turned around. She glared at him from across the room.

"Malfoy, sod off. I don't want to even hear your voice right now. Snape isn't as perverted as you; so, keep your weird fantasies to yourself." Her hair was out of its ponytail and draped her shoulders beautifully. Her robes hung open to give away her very untidy outfit. Draco was amazed by her looks. She had changed and he would have to do something about that.

Before she could get to her door, Hermione was shoved up against the wall with Draco's arms on either side of her head. He was a mere foot away from here.

"You know mudblood? Your appearance isn't the only thing that has changed. You attitude has become like that of a Slytherin. I think I might have to just do something about that little change of yours. It is getting me all worked up." Draco sneered at her.

"Well, maybe another time, because I am a little tired right now." Hermione was tired of this and didn't want to handle it right then. She ducked out of his arms and headed up the stairs to her dorm with Draco's eyes cutting into her back. She would handle that later. She barely heard a small reply as she shut the door to her room and got ready for bed.

"This isn't over Granger." Draco grinned and slid back onto the couch in clear thought of things to come.


	4. Encounters and Chocolate

A/N: I would like to say thank you to those who have reviewed. It has helped. I also would like to remind you that this is my first fanfic, and reviews would be appreciated. Enjoy.

The next morning flew by fast with only one class to go to. Professor McGonagall gave out a small essay and told them to practice changing there appearances with the new charm they learned. Hermione was successful as usual in class changing her full head of hair into a black color while the rest of the class struggled with changing the lengths of their eye lashes. Ten points were awarded to Gryffindor for her success. As the class left the room, Draco brushed past Hermione and sneered back at her after she felt a hand brush her arse. She glared back knowing full well that it was him.

Harry and Ron followed her glare and were ready to follow Draco and teach him a lesson or two, but Hermione directed them towards the Great Hall for an early lunch. The boys watched as passing males gazed at their friend in front of them. They felt a brotherly urge to attack them all, but held back when Hermione waved at a few in a friendly manner. She smiled back at them and gestured to them to catch up with her.

They walked into the Great Hall and sat down in their usually spot. Very few students were in the hall at this moment, giving them the perfect opportunity to talk without being heard. Ron eagerly started filling his plate with some lunch. Harry watched Hermione for a moment.

"So, how have you been Hermione?" He asked while filling up his plate.

"I am wonderful. How have you been? I see Quiditch has treated you nicely." She heard them talking about how they played over the summer and tryouts would be soon since Harry was Captain. She winked at Ron as he smiled at her.

"Good, pretty good. Quiditch has made a difference I guess. Same for Ron though. He has to swat the girls like flies to keep them off. I just resort to bug spray." He laughed at Hermione's reaction. She slapped them both softly on the arm and began eating.

"So, Hermione, where were you all after noon yesterday? You missed out on some fun stuff." Ron stopped eating enough to give her a questioning look.

"I was helping out Professor Snape with some potions. We had fun. I'm sure I missed out on some stuff, but I enjoyed being down in the dungeons for once. He really has changed." Hermione took a drink of her juice.

Ron and Harry has stopped eating and gaped at her. They looked at each other than back Hermione.

"What? You were down in the dungeons with Snape?" Ron asked.

"Well, yeah. He asked me to join him in brewing some potions for the infirmary. He needed some help." She stopped eating to watch her two closest friends as more students began to fill the hall, as well as most of the teachers. She glanced at Snape at the head table as he talked with Lupin.

"You were alone with him? Why? Do you know what this could cause? There are already rumors about you two. This will just spur on more and give people reason to wonder." Harry's face turned into one of pure confusion.

"O come on, what is the big deal? He needed help, he is nice, and I wanted to brew some things. Those rumors have no truth to them." Hermione thought to herself of how she wished they did, but cleared that thought from her mind.

"Are you alright? This is Snape we are talking about. The greasy git who was rude to all of us for the past six years of education here at Hogwarts. You can't seriously want to help him." Harry turned away from his food and sat on the other side of Hermione so Ron and Harry surrounded her.

"I am fine! Snape has changed. I kind of wish to be friends with him now. He seems to feel the same. Start off on a new foot kind of. You should be happy things are improving after you killed Voldemort. You should have expected something to happen, seeing as Snape was a spy for us. With all the stress gone, things are great now." Hermione turned back to her food to avoid the stares of students at the other tables. Her voice had risen as she ranted to Harry.

"Hermione, he is still Snape. You can't trust him!" Ron laid a hand on her shoulder to comfort her or maybe just to quiet her down.

"Ron, you don't know what you are saying. He is kind now, and I do trust him." Hermione looked up in time to see Snape pass them on his way out of the hall. Apparently he had heard the conversation, everyone else did. He nodded at her and smiled slightly and glared at her companions before leaving the hall.

"See what I mean? He is still the same." Harry whispered after Snape had passed.

"No, Harry. You are the same. You killed the dark lord, and life is back to the way it always was for you. You had a hard life, but that is nothing compared to his. You didn't have the years of spying he did, and are able to live freely now. Everyone is free, but Snape is even more." She patted both her friends lightly on the shoulder as she got up to follow Snape to brew some potions. She smiled at them, realizing it would be hard for them to understand. "Now, if you two don't mind, wait, you will mind. But even if you do, I will be leaving you now. I have some potions to go brew." With that said, she walked out of the hall with eyes following her as usual, but this time for her change in behavior, and not appearance.

Snape sat behind his desk grading some papers slowly waiting for the potion he had been working on to cool before continuing on adding the necessary ingredients. He heard the conversation between the 'Golden Trio' as they had been called for years, and didn't quite realize what it meant. Did Hermione want to be his friend? He wouldn't mind that after all those years of just having colleagues and no one to talk to or at least be honest with. He smiled to himself at the thought of having her as a friend. He would really like that, more than she would think right now. He finished the paper he was grading and went back to his potion.

Hermione walked slowly down to the dungeons. She had taken a different path today to clear some thoughts. She came down a small corridor just a little ways off from the classroom she would be working with Snape in. As she walked past a suit of armor against the wall, a hand wrapped around her arm and pulled her against the wall. She took in a breath as the person shoved against her, pinning her to the wall.

"Well granger, I believe we have some unfinished business." Draco breathed into her ear. His arms were against the wall on either side of her. She could smell the faint aroma of peppermint on his breath.

"I don't think we do Malfoy. Unless this is about duties tonight." She sneered at his expression shoving him slightly away from her. His hands were still on either side of her head and his face mere inches away from hers. His eyes were angry.

"Duties, hmm….Granger, those are some things we should discuss. Duties would be a word for it. You need to watch what you say." He sneered at her in return. Her face changed as soon as she saw his sneer.

"What duties would we be discussing, Malfoy? I don't think anything we do involves each other outside of classes." She wondered about what he could be thinking.

"O, I could think of some things that involve both of us. Just you wait Granger, you'll see." He whispered in her ear softly. He nipped her ear and pressed her against the wall further. His hand trailed up her side and barely touched her chest before he pushed away and smirked at her. She was breathing hard and had a scared look on her face. He liked it.

"See you tonight mudblood." He walked away slowly relishing in the way he made her speechless. In his mind, it would be a fun evening.

Hermione straightened out her robes and leaned against the wall for a moment. She folded her arms across her chest feeling slightly violated at his touch. Moments before she had been thinking about her want of someone to touch her like that, but it was the wrong Slytherin that did the touching. She composed herself and walked briskly to the classroom. She entered without knocking hoping he wouldn't mind. Being by herself at that moment frightened her. She shut the door quickly and turned around and leaned against it.

Snape glanced up from his potion. His dark green shirt rolled up to his elbows and his robe lying on the back of the chair at his desk. He watched for a moment as Hermione closed her eyes and then stepped forward removing her robe and setting it down on a nearby table, her wand laying next to it. She pulled her hair up in a bun and turned to her professor.

"Good afternoon professor. What will I be brewing today?" He watched her, taken aback by her sudden composure. He blinked before realizing she was blushing under his stare.

"Miss Granger, is something the matter? You seem flustered." He questioned placing his hands on the edge of the table.

"O, it's nothing sir. Really, I can handle it." She smiled at him, trying to comfort herself in the process. Telling him would make things better, but she was too embarrassed to approach that conversation at the moment.

"Fine, well, today I would like you to brew the bone healing potion. More Quiditch accidents I believe." He smirked and went back to his potion after directing her to the other table.

After about an hour of brewing, Snape was getting annoyed. Hermione definitely seemed distracted and did not seem like she was listening at all to anything he was saying. She had already spilled some ingredients and even dropped a jar on the floor, shattering it. She cleaned it up before he even could turn around with the help of her wand. She smiled weakly and mumbled an apology. This was getting out of control, but he would not push her.

Finally the breaking point came when she sliced her finger with the knife while trying to cut up some simple roots. He turned at the sound of her whimper and muttered obscenities. He healed her finger quickly and made her sit down on the near by stool. He stood next to her watching her eat a small piece of chocolate he gave her off of his desk. He was glad he had followed Lupin's advice. It seemed to help her feel better. She smiled weakly at him and tried to get up to go back to brewing her potion, but Snape made her stay seated.

"Miss Granger, I tried to ignore the fact that you were wasting my supply of ingredients and my failed attempts at conversation, but cutting your own finger while chopping up a simple root is hard to ignore. When you came into the classroom, without even a knock I might add, you seemed flustered to say the least. I asked and you failed to tell me what was bothering you, but now I demand that you tell me. I don't want you chopping off your finger over something that can be taken care of." He watched her thinking for a moment when he had finished.

"Professor, I can't really tell you. It is really embarrassing. If I tell you, you have to promise not to do anything. I can handle it. It really is nothing." She watched him contemplate this thought before nodding and continuing.

"Apparently the boys have noticed my change over the summer." She blushed as Snape shifted uncomfortably. "Well, not just any boys that it, Draco Malfoy has noticed. He actually has done more than notice." She trailed off at remembering her past two encounters with the boy.

"What do you mean by more than noticed?" Snape looked concerned and slightly angered.

"Well, he has stopped me twice and told me he would be doing something about my change. He said it had him 'all worked up' and he didn't like it." She shuddered at the thought. "He stopped me on the way here and shoved me into the wall. He told me we would be discussing some 'duties' tonight and he would show me what he meant."

Snape folded his arms and leaned against the wall propping one foot up to hold himself steady. He didn't like the thought of Draco doing anything of the sort to Hermione. He glanced at her as she nibbled the last of the chocolate.

"Did he do anything else, Miss Granger?" He sounded concerned. He watched Hermione blush uncontrollably. He guessed there was more, but she didn't feel comfortable saying what it was. "Please Miss Granger, what else happened?"

She eased up a bit after finishing her chocolate and looked at him.

"Well, he umm….bit my ear, and then ran his hand up my side." She gestured to her side and slowly moved her hand up her side as a demonstration. She shivered a bit.

Snape closed his eyes and anger enveloped him. He didn't know why, but he felt jealous of some sort, but realized he was jealous of someone harassing Hermione, not her willingly having a relationship with someone. He opened his eyes slowly and saw her staring at him. He smiled comfortingly.

"I shall handle that. You don't need to worry about him bothering you any time soon. If I know Draco, he will say anything to get a rise out of someone, but never do anything of any importance." He lied trying to comfort her. He would talk to the headmaster later about the Head Boy. Right now it was not the time. "Right now, I think it best we forget about this for now and worry about our potions." He smiled at her as she got up to finish her potion.

The rest of the evening went by fast. They laughed and joked. Several times, Snape can remember bumping into Hermione trying to make her laugh or do something as she tried to measure out some ingredient. She would laugh and gently slap him on the arm at his fake apology. It was rather immature, but he was trying to get her mind off of other things. Sometimes she would place a delicate hand on his arm or back as she tried to pass him. He would relish those touches, unknowingly, just as much as she relished I his.

It was late and they tidied up and said good bye. Snape watched her as she threw on her robe and put her wand in her pocket. She waved and walked out the door. He thought about her. Her beauty, intelligence, and mannerisms. She was gorgeous. He smiled to himself at how he successfully changed her mind set after the incident. It would take him about another ten minutes before he would remember exactly what the incident involved.

Hermione's mind was completely off of Draco. The only thing running through her mind was Snape. His laugh, his voice, his touch. She loved it all. She walked into the corridor towards her common room, unaware of the danger that lurked behind the portrait hole in front of her.

A/N: I hope you liked it. You could kind of guess what is going to happen next, but maybe you will be surprised. Please review. 


	5. Dutiful Rescue

Hermione said the password to the portrait hole, and walked into the common room. When she first stepped into the room and slid off her robes, she knew something was amiss. She laid her robes on the back of the couch. It was darker than usual. The only thing lighting the room was the small fire in the fireplace. The moon was glowing through the windows giving the room an eerie feel. She shivered at the cold. The second she heard movement from the chair in the corner, she remembered her encounter with Draco earlier that evening.

He lifted his wand and pointed it at Hermione. She froze on the spot and folded her arms over her chest. She glared over at his smirk. He moved his wand in the direction of the couch in front of the fireplace. Hermione moved over to the couch and stood there staring at him.

"Granger, I think you should sit down. You look a little worn out." He gestured to her untidy hair and outfit that she wore again for the second night in a row. He eyed her unbuttoned shirt slightly. "I see you have kept busy with our dear potions master this evening. Would you mind sharing what you were doing all those hours?"

Hermione glared at him trying not to show how afraid she was. He was slowly creeping forward towards her. He now was only mere feet away.

"If you must know Malfoy, I was helping him brew a few things." She cocked her head to the side as he snorted.

"I believe brew may be the wrong word Granger." He stepped forward now right in front of her with his wand jabbing at her sternum. "Would you like to tell me the truth?"

Hermione swore she caught a glimpse of jealousy and anger in his eyes. He seriously thought she did something with Snape. She smirked at him trying not to laugh.

"Really Malfoy, are you that dense? Or maybe just jealous?" Hermione regretted that the second it left her lips.

Draco spun her around and shoved her up against the wall near the fireplace. A mixture anger and hunger were etched into his eyes.

"Exactly what am I to be jealous of Granger? Is that a confession? So the rumors are true. You are screwing that retch of a man." He was dangerously close to her. His hands clung to her shoulders as he pinned her against the wall. "Is he the only one? Seeing as you are a bit of a looker now days, I suppose he is not alone. You wouldn't mind letting me in on it, would you?"

He leaned in and captured her attempted retort in his mouth. He bit her lower lip as she tried to pull away with no success. He let go of her lips and heaved a sigh.

"Stop trying to get away. It won't work. You're all mine now." He ran his tongue up her jaw to her ear he had nipped earlier. Hermione rolled her head back against the wall trying to struggle free to no avail.

His hand slowly traveled closer to her neck but dropped suddenly and ran down her chest. Hermione looked for his wand, but he had thrown it onto the couch when he had attacked her. He had her pinned to the wall with his other arm. He grabbed her wrists and held them above her head, relishing in the way she rocked back and forth against him trying to free herself. All she was successful in doing was arousing him even more.

"Granger, what you are doing is not working. It is actually doing just the opposite of what I am sure you want to do. If you continue, I will have no choice but to continue with what I want." Hermione stopped abruptly realizing what she was doing. She calmed down in hopes of him stopping as well. He chuckled in her ear. "That doesn't mean I will stop what I am doing."

He traveled his left hand down her arms while still holding her wrists over her head. He rested his hand on her chest, before moving to the buttons of her shirt. He started to unbutton them slowly watching her gaze on his hand. With every button he undid, he could sense her body trembling. She was very afraid. He finished the last button and pulled the cloth out of his way.

Before he could get a glimpse of what he so desired, a noise came from the portrait hole. He covered Hermione's mouth with his hand and stared over to the hole where the portrait back had been, trying to remain unseen. Through the door, Professor Snape stormed into the room. The darkness shrouded everything in the room except for him. The fire had gone out and the light poured into the room from the door way.

Suddenly, Snape heard a whimper coming from the small crevice near the fire place. He immediately pointed his wand into the darkness.

"Malfoy, I believe that is a direct violation of Miss Granger's personal space. Step away now before I am forced to take action." Snape spoke slowly and coolly. His silky voice filled the silence.

Draco could feel Hermione immediately calm down at the presence of Snape.

"Well, professor Snape, did you really think you were the only one Granger was messing with? I'm sorry sir, but you just walked in on a very consensual interaction." Draco sneered from his position in front of Hermione.

"What ever you have heard Mr. Malfoy, is a lie. Miss Granger here has really only been helping me brew some potions, but that really is not for you to care about. All that matters right now is that you remove your hand from Miss Granger's mouth, and step away slowly." He raised his wand to point directly at Draco's head.

Draco blinked in astonishment. He looked at Snape and saw the same stern look, no sign of lying or emotion. He lowered his hand as Hermione fell to the ground, tears rolling down her cheeks. He looked down at her and stepped back slowly.

"Thank you Mr. Malfoy. Now please sit down." Snape gestured to the chair in the corner. He watched carefully as Draco moved to the chair with his eyes still on Hermione. "Now, if you don't mind, I would like you to stay there. If you don't, I personally will see to it that your jewels you prize so much will never reach the peak they have always wanted to. And I am not referring to your wealth Mr. Malfoy."

Hermione calmed herself down and buttoned up her shirt slowly. Snape walked over to her, still eyeing Draco suspiciously. He bent over and helped her up giving her a warm smile. She smiled back weakly and allowed him to guide her to her robes with his arm on her shoulders. She shivered slightly and he pulled her robes over her shoulder.

"You are alright Miss Granger. Here, come with me, we need to get you calmed down." He directed her to the doorway then paused. He released her shoulders for a moment and walked back to the couch. Picking up Draco's wand, he directed him to the stairs to his dormitory. Waving goodbye smugly, he took Draco's wand and watched him as he went up the stairs. After hearing a door slam, he walked back to Hermione.

Placing a soft hand on the small of her back, he directed her out of the portrait hole and down to the dungeons. Hermione would have normally not wanted to be down in the dungeons because of there misery and shadows, but right then she felt there was no other place she would want to be. She felt his hand on the small of her back but did not respond. They made it down to the dungeons and he directed her into a door next to his classroom.

The room was a decent size with bookshelves on all sides. Different bottles of eerie substances still covered most of the shelves, but more of the space was now taken up by leather bound books. Where there used to be hard chairs, now sat two arm chairs and a small loveseat. They were black leather, and Hermione thought to herself how any other color would have been shocking. Snape guided her to the loveseat and told her to sit down. She sat down slowly, uncomfortably. Her mind was still racing over what just happened. She couldn't think of what would have happened had Professor Snape not arrived.

"Here, eat this. I know it may just seem like I am continuously shoving chocolate at you, but according to Professor Lupin, it really helps." He handed Hermione another piece of the chocolate she had earlier. She smiled weakly up at him and nibbled at the piece in her hand. "I think you should just rest for a bit, and then maybe we can discuss what happened. I'll give you a moment to yourself." He slowly walked to the desk and sat down behind it pulling a piece of parchment to himself, and then beginning to write.

Hermione was confused a bit as to what was going on, but she did need a moment to herself. It always helped her think. She leaned back into the soft love seat. Her body sank into the cushions around her. She relished that feeling of being held by the loveseat. She started to remember Draco's hand traveling up her side, and tears came to her eyes. She didn't care so much that it had happened; she had just felt so helpless. She never enjoyed feeling helpless, it was the one feeling she would try everything to avoid.

Hermione reminded herself of how she was a strong person and she could get through this. Snape would take care of it, and she knew that. He would take care of her. She felt comfort in the fact that she was in his office, and he was there with her. Draco wouldn't stand a chance. Her eyes began to flutter shut from the exhaustion of the day and the only thing running through her mind was the man sitting behind the desk. As she fell into a troubled slumber, she didn't notice that man watching her lovingly.

A/N: Sorry. Shorter chapter than the others. It is a little different. Sorry if you didn't want it to go in that direction. Believe me, there is more to come. Thanks.


	6. Warm Embrace

A cold hand clasped onto Hermione's shoulder and she let out a scream swatting at the hand. She didn't want him to do that. His hands were too cold. He was the wrong person. She had to make him stop. She was just causing more trouble for herself. The hand came back to her shoulder and shook her. She started crying before she realized the hand wasn't cold anymore, but warm to the touch.

Her eyes flew open to see Snape kneeling next to her on the floor. She was lying on the couch in his office. She must have fallen asleep. She stared at him for a moment into his eyes that once were cold and unemotional now showing concern. Tears poured into her eyes in embarrassment and she realized he had found her in her most vulnerable state. She couldn't face him, but she couldn't turn away. She propped herself up on her elbows and looked at him crying. Her head shook from side to side mumbling something about being sorry as tears rolled down her face. He looked into her gaze and noticed fear behind her brown eyes.

Before she knew what was happening, she was wrapped in a warm embrace. His arms around her shoulders calming her down. The cold hands were just a memory as his warm hands gripped her. Her head fell to his chest, where it rested rolling back and forth as she apologized over and over again. She didn't want him to be the one to see her half undressed, being assaulted by a boy. She grabbed at his robes trying to keep him near her. He comforted her for reasons she didn't know.

"Calm down. It is ok. It is all over." He rubbed a soothing hand on her back. Her sobs were shaking her whole body. She finally stopped and seemed to go back to the mature woman she was. He slowly tried to get up from his kneeling position on the floor but she tugged at his robes.

"No, please don't leave me. I don't know what I will do if I am alone. He could come back!" Her hands were in fists holding onto him. He glanced at her hands and noticed her white knuckle grip on his robes. He quickly sat down next to her on the couch.

"He won't find you. I will deal with him. You can trust me. I will protect you." Before he could stop himself, he hugged her shoulders to him and rested his chin on her head. She was still crying, but silent tears instead. He knew this was unusual behavior for a teacher, and even more so for him, but he couldn't control himself. She was in distress, and he had to do something.

"I don't want you to leave me. I feel better when I am next to you. I enjoy your company. I love your company. Please don't go." She whispered into his robes where her head rested. He placed a gentle hand on her head and whispered into her hair.

"I won't go unless you want me to." He leaned back into the couch pulling her with him until he was resting against the back. Hermione's head lying on his chest. She was curled up next to him with her shoes off and her robes pulled tightly around her. Her hair was sprawled out over his shoulder and down her back.

In all his years of being her teacher, he never noticed how lovely her hair was. He felt her heart beat slow down until it was at a steady rhythm and he realized she had fallen asleep. He twisted a small strand of hair in his fingers as she shifted against him. He realized since she had first raised her hand in his class, he had felt proud and respectful of the young witch, but now that she was a woman, he felt more than just respect. He could even venture a guess as to say he loved her. Just the past two days of working with her in his lab had been heaven. His eyes eventually grew weary and they fluttered closed.

Hermione woke up feeling better than she had the night before. The memory was still lodged into her brain, but she felt as if she could get through it. A warn arm was draped over her shoulders and she curled herself back into the body next to her. She tilted her head to look up into the sleeping face of her professor. He had changed, and definitely for the better. She watched as his eyelids twitched in his sleep. She rested her head back against his chest and shivered at the thought of Draco undoing her blouse.

The body next to her stirred when she had shivered and she faked sleep as he opened his eyes. Snape looked down at the sleeping form of Miss Granger next to him. Thoughts raced through his mind until he remembered why she was there. It wasn't because she felt the same way for him as he felt for her, it was because she needed comfort and he was the only one there. He watched as her body rose and fell as she slept. He liked having someone next to him like that. Through all the stress of the spying and teaching students who didn't care, he finally felt at home. It wasn't just having someone there, it was having Hermione there. She was a bright, strong, young witch, and he respected her dearly.

Hermione felt it was time to make her presence known a bit more and turned her head to look at her professor and open her eyes. She looked at him for a moment before pulling away and sitting up. She slowly scooted to the other end of the small couch, not that there was any where for her to go.

"I'm truly sorry. I just didn't want to go back to my dorm. I'm sorry to intrude on you like that. I, well, I just felt comfort next to you." She shrugged her shoulders and looked at the ground around her stocking feet trying to hide the truth. Snape watched and tried his hardest to not respond how he really wanted to.

"It's ok Miss Granger. I will take care of Mr. Malfoy this morning. He shouldn't bother you anymore." He gave her a small smile and began to get up. Hermione watched as he reluctantly got up and walked to his desk. He walked slowly and hesitantly, as if he could read Hermione's mind and realize she didn't want him to leave her.

"Thank you, sir. I never thanked you last night. It was, well, greatly appreciated." She smiled weakly at him and put on her shoes. She realized she never took off her robe and made to straighten out her clothes. She tried not to cry as she remembered Malfoy unbuttoning her blouse that she now fixed up.

Snape watched as she closed her eyes and heaved a sigh. She was strong and would get over this quickly. She was truly a tough witch. He looked down at the parchment on his desk and the letter he was writing to the headmaster. He read through it again and then decided to deliver it in person and maybe fill in some of the cracks for the dear old man. Although, he knew in his mind that the headmaster already knew about it. He headed to the fireplace and turned around to find Hermione fixing her hair up in a tight bun.

"Miss Granger, you are a strong witch. The brightest one I have ever known. You have grown to be the most beautiful, and frankly, the most perfect witch. You will get through this. I know you will." He looked at her shocked expression and flooed to the headmaster's office before she could respond.

Hermione stood in place as she watched her professor leave. Could that really have just happened? Did he really just compliment her to that extent? She smiled to herself at the realization that she had made an impact on her professor. A very strong one as well. She straightened her self out again and flooed to her common room. Draco would probably already be at breakfast, or perhaps gone.

She entered the abandoned common room and briskly walked to her dorm. She stripped off her clothes quickly and took a cold shower before composing herself and acting as if nothing happened. No one would need to know. She threw on her uniform and robes and tamed her hair down as usual. She pulled her robe closer about her than usual to hide her perfect figure. She did feel exposed now.

The heels of her shoes clattered in the hallway as she made her way quickly down to the Great Hall for the last of breakfast. She held her head high and walked as she always did. No one noticed the fear in her eyes of someone else doing the same thing Draco did, or at least wanting to. The Great Hall was halfway empty when she made her way to the Gryffindor table. Harry and Ron were sitting there talking when she sat down beside Ron.

"Hey Hermione, where have you been?" Ron asked her questioningly. She gave him a half-hearted smile before pulling a plate to her.

"I had to talk to Professor Snape this morning about a few things." She couldn't stand completely lying to her friends. Ron looked at the front table to find Snape missing.

"Where is he anyways?" He gave Hermione a weird look. Hermione followed where his gaze had been to see an empty chair where Snape should have been sitting.

"Well, I think he said something about talking to Dumbledore." She shrugged her shoulders when he began to ask why he would need to talk to Dumbledore.

"Do you have any clue what Malfoy is talking about? He seems too impressed with himself today. It is bothering me." Harry piped in from behind Ron. Hermione looked over at the Slytherin table just in time to see all the guys around Draco leaning in to him as he whispered something to the group.

It only took a second for her to figure out what he was whispering, because at that moment, all the heads of the boys around Malfoy turned to look in her direction. Hermione could feel her face turn red and tears come to the corners of her eyes as she looked at their faces and saw the smirk on Draco's face. She quickly looked away and composed herself the second she saw Snape walk into the Great Hall. She didn't want him to see how distressed she still was. She knew his scowl would not vanish in public at her tears.

The hall quickly emptied as students finished their breakfast and headed out for a nice, warm Saturday. Hermione walked ahead of Harry and Ron out of the hall as usual. Her maturity was no match for anyone else around her. The boys seemed to just fall into step behind her. She had calmed down a lot since the beginning of breakfast and walked with her usual stride. As she turned to go up the empty main stairs, a platinum blonde boy stepped in front of her, followed by five of his closest Slytherin companions.

Hermione stopped in her tracks and quickly wiped the look of fear and depression off of her face to look at her one true enemy. Anger boiled up inside of her as she saw the smirk on his face. Harry and Ron stood a few feet behind her prepared to stand up for her if she needed it.

"What do you want, Malfoy? Do I need to remind you that harassment is not a very legal action?" She glared at him with all of her strength.

"You know what I want, Granger. I believe I informed you last night." He slowly began to circle around her as his cohorts watched in anticipation. Hermione remained facing the smirking faces of the Slytherins as she felt Draco's eyes trail over her body and his whisper in her ear as he passed behind her, brushing a hand over he back. "I am fairly certain at least that you got the main part of my actions, before your little buddy decided to come in. How is he, Granger? Is he as good as me in bed?" Malfoy came back in front of Hermione and stood a foot in front of her face.

The anger and glare on Hermione's face began to falter as his words slipped out of his sneering face.

"Malfoy, I believe in order for me to answer that question, I would have to have slept with at least one of you, and sorry to inform you, but that hasn't happened. I also would like to inform you, that it will never happen with you." She thought about Snape as she said this. She would never sleep with Draco, but she didn't know about Snape. At her words, Draco's smile went into a full out offensive sneer.

"Your little professor won't be there to save you all the time." He took a step closer and Hermione could feel the warm air coming from his mouth. Hermione could feel his anger and jealousy. He wanted her, and he would do all he could to get her.

"I believe that is where you're wrong Malfoy. I will be there." A silky voice filled Hermione's ears and she stared into Draco's furious eyes. The eyes that were once higher than hers suddenly filled with pain and fell from her stare.


	7. Justice and More

A crowd gathered around the group as students leaving from the Great Hall heard the cry of pain from the bottom of the stairs. Draco Malfoy was curled up on the ground in front of a tall, attractive witch that they all knew to be Hermione Granger. A gasp erupted from the group as they thought how they had never imagined Hermione to ever hurt another student. That thought quickly left their minds as they saw Professor Snape standing mere feet away from the pair. His wand in hand pointing at the ball of robes and blonde hair on the ground.

Draco whimpered in pain and the group took a step back as Snape pocketed his wand and glared at the surrounding students, as if daring them to tell on him. No one would say a word. Harry and Ron stood gaping at their potions master, as a smile played on Hermione's lips as she gazed down at the squirming boy in front of her. His robes splayed out around him as he gripped his groin. She smiled fully as she remembered the threat Snape had given him after their little encounter.

"You will never get away with this! My father will seek justice!" Draco's voice seemed forced and his threat was full of anger. Snape took one long stride and was in front of Malfoy in a heartbeat. He bent down and gripped Draco's hair in his hand, pulling his head back to look at him in the eyes. Draco's face was a bright red and you could see he had tears in his eyes.

"I don't believe he will, Mr. Malfoy. I really don't think he will ever even know about this act. Do you really think your father will be happy that his poor little boy was harassing a mudblood? I don't think daddy will like that very much. He doesn't know that the witch you are assaulting is really not as filthy as he may think. It is not necessary for him to find out about this little, what would you call it? This little act of justice. You said yourself mere moments ago he would seek justice, and I think justice has already been found." He threw his head back down. Snape stood up glancing around the group. "Does anyone here have anything else to say?" A sneer was played onto his lips and he glared at the Slytherins in front of him. The crowd quickly took a step back as he stepped over Malfoy towards the members of his house. "I didn't think so."

Hermione watched Snape as he turned back to her and motioned for her to come to him. She stepped over Malfoy managing to clip his side with her foot in the process. A smile was covering up her once fearful and anxious face. She stood in front of her professor waiting for a command. She would do anything he said at this moment.

"I believe we have some more potions we could be brewing at this time. I just recently found out that there is a foolish Slytherin boy who would be in desperate need of some pain relieving potion after a very, very painful Quiditch accident." He glanced down at Malfoy still curled on the floor muttering obscenities. "Would you mind helping me with them?"

Hermione smiled and nodded her head before turning to her two friends' stunned faces.

"It looks like you will have to study without me for a bit. I have some unfinished work to complete for some potions. I will catch up with you later." She gave them both a quick smile before turning back to her potions master. He bent down and pulled his hand out to the side to direct her to the dungeons in a gentleman like manner. She nodded towards him before walking in the direction of the dungeons. The crowd that still remained cleared out of her way and watched as she passed by, followed shortly by the tall, handsome man that they had come to understand as a powerful, authoritative potions master. His act of protection was a shock to them, and even more was the way he had treated Granger. They both had changed, and many thought at that moment that the rumors were true.

Hermione walked slowly beside her potions master down the hall into the dungeons. She stole glances at him every chance she got. His face was the same and his hair was the same raven color, but it looked so soft. His eyes intrigued her and she smiled at his long strides. He was a wonderful man and he just defended her. They turned a corner and walked into the classroom. They stripped off their robes and went straight to the tables. Hermione jumped up and sat on her table as she waited for Snape to get out the materials. She watched him with interest as he pulled out the cauldrons and with a wave of his wand; the ingredients appeared on the tables.

"Um, thanks, again. It seems you are always there to save me from that filthy beast, if that is even the right term." She shrugged her shoulders and looked down at her feet swinging them like the school girl she was. She looked up to find him staring at her a he rolled up his sleeves to his elbows.

"Miss Granger, it really is no problem or displeasure of mine to save you from anything." He smiled at her and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt as he went back to his ingredients. Hermione blushed and looked back at her feet. When she looked up he was already adding things to his boiling water in his cauldron. At the sight of him so calmly brewing his potion, she remembered how life was in the two days before Draco appeared interested in her. She broke down.

"Why did he suddenly seem interested in me? What has changed so much? Do I just seem like some sort of whore now? Why after all those years of hating me, did he suddenly want to sleep with me?" She banged her fists on the table and silent tears broke from her eyes. She didn't make any sound of crying or sobbing, they just came out.

Snape looked up from his potion at her outburst and his heart ached at the sight of her crying like that because of a boy. He watched for a second and she tried to compose herself and then he set down his stuff, and like a school boy, walked over to her and jumped up on the table too. He sat next to her for a moment before grabbing her fist tenderly and opening it in his hand. He placed both of his hands on her one and looked at her for a moment. She stared back at him for a moment in confusion, before the comfort of his presence snuck in.

"Miss Granger, there are many reasons why a boy like Malfoy would be interested in you. You are beautiful and stunning. You have a gleam about you that no one else does. Your skin is perfect. Your smile is brighter than the sun and can make anyone smile in return. Your eyes are so soothing and soft and have always showed a glimpse of your yearning for information and truth. You are the smartest witch that I have ever known and no on can measure up to you. You are quick on your feet and brave. You should have been in Slytherin because of your cunning and your instincts, but your courage and friendliness override your evil side." He paused and chuckled to himself. His eyes lingered on her hand in his before he looked back into her eyes and continued. "The reason it has never been seen before, is because he hid his emotions from you for so long because of his anger towards Potter and Weasley, and also because he knew he could never compare to you. Your perfection is too much for him to stay away, but he could never be as flawless. He, like someone else I know, has probably been besotted with you since the moment he saw you, and he just knew you would never return his affections. It is nothing you did. It is just time and love taking its toll." He squeezed her hand lightly before letting go of it and walking back to his potion.

Hermione sat stunned at his words with the touch of his hands still lingering on hers. She could not help but smile. The tears had stopped coming the second he touched her and she sat in a daze, thinking over his words. She looked up at him and smiled when he caught her stare. She blushed as he smiled back. A genuine smile with emotion behind it. She looked back to her feet when she remembered one of the last things he had said. 'He, l_ike someone else I know, has probably been besotted with you since the moment he saw you…'_ She looked up at him and watched as he intently stirred his potion. The moment he went to sit down and rest, she asked him the question she had been waiting to ask.

"Professor? Why did you save me…twice? And who else do you know that is besotted with me?" She looked at him questioningly. A slight smile crossed his face and she knew she would get the honest truth.

"The moment you came into this classroom, and raised your hand, I immediately knew you would be a smart witch. As the years passed, I respected you and was astounded with your success, but stress and acting caused me to never give you the attention you deserved." He looked down at his arms folded across his chest and continued. "After I learned more about you in the past year at headquarters and your immediate trust once the war was over, I couldn't help but feel more for you. I value your opinion and I trust you as well, so I asked you to help me brew the potions for the school. That was the best decision I have made, because the time with you was the best time I have ever had. I guess it is all really because, well, I love you." He raised his head to look at her face. He couldn't read what she was thinking.

"I understand if you don't feel the same way. I have treated you horribly in the past, but I have always loved you. It is wrong, I know, but it only recently turned into pure love and affection. You are a woman, and a wonderful one at that." He finished off and stood up to finish his potion.

Hermione watched for a moment before she stood up and walked over to stand opposite of him at his table. He was emptying the cauldron when she approached and he looked up at her. She was smiling and he didn't know why. He knew he crossed a line. He bottled the potion and moved the stuff to the side of the table to begin a new potion. The clear place in front of him was suddenly filled.

Hermione was sitting on the table facing him Indian style. As he looked up to face her, lips collided with his. It was soft and tender. Her lips brushed over his again before she sat back looking at him. He was shocked at her actions and looked at her questioningly.

"It is good to know that I am not the only one with built up emotions. Everything you have said to me in the past ten minutes has been the best thing I have ever heard. You have filled every dream just by uttering those words. You called me beautiful, wonderful, perfect, and even said you loved me. That is all I have ever wanted to here." She leaned forward to kiss him again, but he pulled back hesitantly to look at her crestfallen face.

"You are not doing that because you want to. I have just triggered your dreams and wants, and you're doing this because it has never happened before. Please, if you don't feel the same, don't. I won't be able to handle that." He stared at her as she smiled.

"Professor, I have loved you sine I first entered your classroom. From the second I saw you I was attracted to you. Your mystery, your ease, your intelligence. It all pulled me in. It hurt every time you berated me, but hearing your words makes up for all of that. When I saw you this year, my longing and desire for you ignited a feeling in me of love I have never experienced before. When you asked for my help, my body jumped in delight. Those moments together were heaven. I loved everything. Your touch, your voice, all of it. The moment you came in to save me last night, I fell in love all over. Professor, you have made me fall in love with you three times total if I am counting right. And sir, now is one of them." She leaned in and kissed him softly. He slid his hands to her hips and returned her kiss. He pulled back resting his forehead on hers, both eyes shut not wanting to open them for fear of it being all a dream.

"It's Severus, Hermione. Call me Severus." He placed a tender kiss on her lips as she smiled. Her name on his lips made her heart flutter in her chest.

"Okay…Severus." She mumbled his name into his mouth as she kissed him. She could feel a smile cross his lips and his body relax at the sound of his name. He kissed her back passionately and pulled her closer.

For what seemed like an eternity, they kissed there. Her sitting on the table with legs on either side of him and him holding her close. She wound her arms around his neck and held him closer to her. She broke the kiss and trailed tiny soft kisses down his jaw to his neck and back up to his lips. This was heaven, and she didn't want to leave. She broke off the kiss and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"Severus, what did you do to Malfoy?" She opened her eyes to see him smiling with his eyes closed. She drew back and watched as he opened his eyes and began to laugh.

She knew this would be good.

"Sorry to disappoint you Hermione, but I didn't damage his precious jewels permanently." She pouted slightly for a moment before he brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. She couldn't be mad at him. "But I did harm him as you could tell. He won't be able to walk right for about a week, and not be able to, how should I say, 'pleasure' himself for about two or three." He laughed as a smile grew on her face.

"I love you." She kissed him eagerly before breaking it off to look at him.

"I told you I would take care of him. I will protect you. I love you." He leaned forward and kissed her again. This kiss was more passionate and full of love and desire. Hermione kissed him eagerly pulling him closer to her. She wound her hand into his hair. It was so soft against her skin and she loved it. He broke the kiss and trailed tiny ones down her neck to the top of her blouse, but just came right back up. She needed him and she knew it. They kissed for a while before he broke it off. It was already dinner time. They had been together now for over half the day just basking in the other's presence.

"Should we continue this later, Hermione?" Snape smiled at her as her eyes brightened in response to her name from his lips. "Potions do need to be brewed."

She smiled at him and kissed him lightly. She climbed off of the table rubbing against him as she walked back around to her table. She went to put on her robes, but he stopped her and held her robes up for her to put on. As he wrapped her robes around her he brushed her hair out of the way and kissed her delicately on the neck. She shivered at his touch and turned around to face him. They kissed again before she broke off and headed for the door holding his hand as she did. Their fingertips lingered before finally letting go.

"Good bye Hermione." He smiled at her and leaned up against the table he was standing next to.

"I shall see you at 8. Thank you Severus for saving me and making me fall in love with you again." She smiled and stepped out of the door.

A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews, there is still one more chapter, believe me. I hope you liked this one. It is my first fic, and I have loved the response. I love you all. Thank you. Sorry for interrupting the story, I just had to say thanks. Final chapter is next. Review please, thank you.


	8. Finally Together

The day passed by slowly. Everyone was talking about what had happened at breakfast. No one could believe Snape did that to a student, let alone someone in Slytherin. The one thing they were completely dumbfounded over is the fact that it was for Hermione Granger. Why would he do something nice for her? Were the rumors true?

Hermione sat in the library in a secluded corner reading a book. The whispers were greater now since this morning, but she didn't really care what they were saying. She had confessed her love for Severus, and he in turn loves her. She couldn't concentrate on anything else. Her friends knew something was strange and were pestering her all day. The library was the only place she could be by herself until after dinner. Then she could be with Severus Snape, the most hated teacher at Hogwarts, but her one true love.

The candle near by flickered a bit as someone entered her corner. The two comfy chairs were seated facing each other with a fireplace in between. Hermione looked up to see Harry sit across from her.

"Hey Harry." Hermione smiled at him before looking back at her book. She could feel his curious eyes on her. He wanted to talk about something.

"Hermione, can we talk about something?" Hermione smiled to herself at how well she knew her friend and closed her book on her lap.

"Sure Harry, what is it?" She looked up at him waiting for a response.

"Well, I was just wondering about this morning. What was Malfoy talking about?" Harry looked at her just itching for another reason to hate Malfoy. Hermione smiled at her lap and then looked up at Harry.

"It's nothing. We had a little encounter, if you could call it that, and his male instincts got carried away. That's the best way to put it." Harries eyes got bigger as his jaw dropped.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" He was sitting on the edge of his seat.

"Harry, don't get carried away. Se- Professor Snape jumped in just in time to rescue me. He knew Malfoy liked me and wasn't going to trust him in a dormitory alone with me." Hermione smiled reassuringly at Harry.

"So nothing big happened? Snape did get there in time?" Hermione chuckled at his caring.

"Yes Harry, he got there in time." Hermione went back to open her book, thinking the conversation was over.

"Hermione, is there something between you and Professor Snape?" He had relaxed back into the chair, obviously only curious about what was going on, not wanting to kill someone.

"Harry, I'm going to be honest with you. There wasn't anything until today. Well, what I mean is that we didn't know about each others feelings until today after he defended me against Malfoy. Hidden feelings don't always stay hidden." Hermione smiled as she looked down at the open book in her lap. She could tell this was news to Harry. It took him a moment to process the new information, but he nodded his head in understanding.

"So nothing happened between you two?" He looked at her in a concerned manner.

"No Harry, nothing has happened." She watched as he nodded his head and got up and left her alone. _'Well, at least not yet.' _She thought to herself.

Hermione skipped dinner knowing full well how many eyes would be focused on her and how much of the gossip would be about her. As she headed down to the dungeons, she couldn't help thinking about where this would go. Would they be able to have a relationship? Is this just infatuation? She thought about these things up to the moment she knocked on the classroom door and heard a silky 'Enter' from inside. Her doubts vanished when she entered the room to find him leaning against a table with his arms folded. His sleeves were rolled up and his shirt partially unbuttoned. She could tell he had been busy. He looked gorgeous relaxing there. He certainly had changed. He was her dream man with the raven hair to his ears, the mysterious dark eyes, and the black outfit.

She walked over to him and instead of doing what she knew they both wanted, she took off her robe and pulled her hair back.

"So, what shall we be brewing this evening?" She unbuttoned her top a bit and walked over to the boiling potion on the table. She turned around after sniffing the air coming from it to face the man at the other table. He was just staring at her. She could see a hint of a smile creep onto his face as she gave him a small wink.

"Well, I believe that most of the potions have been brewed in the past two days. But I think we could still use some simple pain relieving potion." He watched her as she jumped up to sit on the table.

"Well, that can be taken care of later. I want to ask you something." She smiled at him from her position on the table.

"What is it?" He titled his head waiting for her response.

"First, I wanted to thank you again for your kindness and protection against Malfoy. Now the question I want to ask you. Why did you change and are you happier now?" She watched him as a full smile crawled onto his face.

"Hermione, I didn't really change. Just the stress has vanished and I can live my life how I want to now. No more worrying about death or injury. I can love now." He stood up and came to stand right in front of Hermione, his arms still folded. "And to your second question, am I happier now?" He stroked her cheek with his hand. "You bet I am."

Their lips met again in a tender kiss. Love poured out of each other. They adored the others presence and touch, and they couldn't let go. Snape snaked his arms around Hermione's waist and picked her up off the table. She stood in front of him on tip toes relishing in his touch. He broke off the kiss and guided her to a door behind his desk. Hermione knew those were his quarters and she couldn't think of any better place to be. He paused before opening the door and looked into her eyes. They loved each other.

"I guess what they say isn't always true. Change can happen, and I love it." Hermione reached up and pulled him down into a passionate kiss as he opened the door to the one place Hermione dreamed of being.

A/N: OK, I'm all done. I know this is not how some people would have wanted me to end it, if you don't like it just review and tell me. I do have another idea for the ending. I think this is kind of dull I guess, but please, review and let me know. I can definitely change it.


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